Method and system for providing enhanced location based information for wireless handsets

Abstract

Methods, devices and systems for generating enhanced location information on or about a mobile device may include hybrid lateration and trilateration solutions in which the mobile device performs location determination calculations with the aid of network components or global positioning systems (GPS). Mobile devices may automatically form groups based on proximity and/or may be grouped together via a network server. Mobile devices in a group may share computed location information and/or information collected from internal sensors with other grouped mobile devices. Information shared between grouped mobile devices may be used to enhance the location information computed on each mobile device. For example, each mobile device may supplement and/or augment previously computed location information based on the received location information and/or relative positions of other mobile devices in the same group. Each mobile device may also utilize local sensors to further enhance their location information.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of providing an enhanced location based service via a mobile device, including:
 determining, by a processor of the mobile device, an initial position of the mobile device; 
 generating local position information; 
 generating external position information based on location information received from an external location tracking system; 
 generating proximity position information based on distance information received from a second mobile device; 
 generating final location information based on the determined initial position, the generated local position information, the generated external position information, and the generated proximity position information; and 
 using the generated final location information to provide a location based service. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the final location information based on the determined initial position, the generated local position information, the generated external position information, and the generated proximity position information comprises:
 generating a position information set, a velocity information set, and an acceleration information set, each of which include a latitude component, a longitude component, and an altitude component. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein generating any of the local position information, the external position information, or the proximity position information further comprises:
 separating location information into a set of latitude components, a set of longitude components, and a set of altitude components; and 
 executing a kalman filter on each of the set of latitude components, the set of longitude components, and the set of altitude components to produce position information. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , further comprising determining an error associated with generation of the position information. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 updating the local position information after a first time interval to produce updated local position information; 
 updating the external position information after a second time interval to produce updated external position information; and 
 updating the proximity position information after a third time interval to produce updated proximity position information. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 updating the generated final location information based on the updated local position information, the updated external position information, the updated proximity position information and the generated final location information to produce an updated final location estimation set. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 5 , wherein updating any of the local position information, the external position information, or the proximity position information comprises:
 determining whether updated location information or updated distance information is available; 
 combining current location information or current distance information with an error value, in response to determining that updated location information or updated distance information is not available. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the first time interval, the second time interval, or the third time interval is a time interval between successive determinations of the local position information. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the distance information comprises a distance from the mobile device to the second mobile device. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the local position information is obtained using dead reckoning. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the local position information is obtained using combination of local sensor outputs. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the external location tracking system comprise a global positioning (GPS). 
     
     
       13. A mobile device comprising:
 an antenna; 
 one or more processors or processor cores configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising: 
 determining an initial position of the mobile device; 
 generating local position information; 
 generating external position information based on location information received from an external location tracking system and 
 generating proximity position information based on distance information received via the antenna from a second mobile device; 
 generating final location information based on the determined initial position, the generated local position information, the generated external position information, and the generated proximity position information; and 
 using the generated final location information to provide a location based service. 
 
     
     
       14. The mobile device of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors or processor cores is further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising such that generating the final location information comprises generating a position information set, a velocity information set, and an acceleration information set, each of which include a latitude component, a longitude component, and an altitude component. 
     
     
       15. The mobile device of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more processors or processor cores is further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising such that generating any of the local position information, the external position information, or proximity position information further comprises:
 separating location information into a set of latitude components, a set of longitude components, and a set of altitude components; and 
 executing a kalman filter on each of the set of latitude components, the set of longitude components, and the set of altitude components to produce position information. 
 
     
     
       16. The mobile device of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors or processor cores is further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising: determining an error associated with generation of the position information. 
     
     
       17. The mobile device of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors or processor cores is further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:
 updating the local position information after a first time interval to produce updated local position information; 
 updating the external position information after a second time interval to produce updated external position information; and 
 updating the proximity position information after a third time interval to produce updated proximity position information. 
 
     
     
       18. The mobile device of  claim 17 , wherein the one or more processors or processor cores is further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:
 updating the generated final location information based on the updated local position information, the updated external position information, the updated proximity position information and the generated final location information to produce an updated final location information. 
 
     
     
       19. The mobile device of  claim 17 , wherein the one or more processors or processor cores is further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising such that updating any of the local position information, the external position information, or the proximity position information comprises:
 determining whether updated location information or updated distance information is available; 
 combining current location information or current distance information with an error value, in response to determining that updated location information or updated distance information is not available. 
 
     
     
       20. The mobile device of  claim 17 , wherein the one or more processors or processor cores is further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising such that the first time interval, the second time interval, or the third time interval is a time interval between successive determinations of the local position information. 
     
     
       21. The mobile device of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors or processor cores is further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising such that the distance information comprises a distance from the mobile device to the second mobile device. 
     
     
       22. The mobile device of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors or processor cores is further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising such that local position information is obtained using dead reckoning. 
     
     
       23. The mobile device of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors or processor cores is further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising such that the local position information is obtained using combination of local sensor outputs. 
     
     
       24. The mobile device of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors or processor cores is further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising such that the external location tracking system comprise a global positioning (GPS). 
     
     
       25. A non-transitory processor-readable medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform operations comprising:
 determining an initial position of the mobile device; 
 generating local position information; 
 generating external position information based on location information received from an external location tracking system and 
 generating proximity position information based on distance information received via an antenna, from a second mobile device; 
 generating final location information based on the determined initial position, the generated local position information, the generated external position information, and the generated proximity position information; and 
 using the generated final location information to provide a location based service. 
 
     
     
       26. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 25 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that generating the final location information comprises generating a position information set, a velocity information set, and an acceleration information set, each of which include a latitude component, a longitude component, and an altitude component. 
     
     
       27. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 26 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that generating any of the local position information, the external position information, or the proximity position information further comprises:
 separating location information into a set of latitude components, a set of longitude components, and a set of altitude components; and 
 executing a kalman filter on each of the set of latitude components, the set of longitude components, and the set of altitude components to produce position information. 
 
     
     
       28. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 27 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:
 determining an error associated with generation of the position information. 
 
     
     
       29. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 25 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that:
 updating the local position information after a first time interval to produce updated local position information; 
 updating the external position information after a second time interval to produce updated external position information; and 
 updating the proximity position information after a third time interval to produce updated proximity position information. 
 
     
     
       30. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 29 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that:
 updating the generated final location information based on the updated local position information, the updated external position information, the updated proximity position information and the generated final location information to produce an updated final location information. 
 
     
     
       31. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 30 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that updating any of the local position information, the external position information, or the proximity position information comprises:
 determining if updated location information or updated distance information is available; 
 combining current location information or current distance information with an error value, in response to determining that updated location information or updated distance information is not available. 
 
     
     
       32. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 30 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that the first time interval, the second time interval, or the third time interval is a time interval between successive determinations of the local position information. 
     
     
       33. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 25 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that the distance information comprises information identifying a distance from the mobile device to the second mobile device. 
     
     
       34. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 25 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that the local position information is obtained using dead reckoning. 
     
     
       35. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 25 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that the local position information is obtained using combination of local sensor outputs. 
     
     
       36. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 25 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that receiving external information from the external location tracking system comprises receiving external information from a global positioning (GPS).